


like a comet pulled from orbit

by suhrealist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21861976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suhrealist/pseuds/suhrealist
Summary: Renjun's determined. He always has been, but now more than ever. Nothing's getting in between him and graduating.Until a certain boy with curly brown hair and sparkling eyes steals his attention.It all starts with a party, a wet t-shirt, and a lost phone.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46
Collections: DreamXmas 2019





	like a comet pulled from orbit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drmroses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drmroses/gifts).



> this is my gift to kath / moonlightrenjun for the Dream Secret Santa (@dreamiesxchange on twt)!! i hope you like it and happy holidays!!!! <3

Renjun's determined. He always has been, but now more than ever.

The end of his college years is fast approaching and if you ask him? It's been nothing like the movies. There were no raging parties, no late night adventures, no cute love story. It sounds sadder than it really is though. Renjun is the first to admit that it's all on him. He'll say he's too driven, too focused on his goal and getting out of this place that he didn't even bother trying to belong.

He spots a group of what he would assume are theater kids, laughing loudly and doing some sort of improv exercise right in the middle of the courtyard. He scoffs to himself, never being one to be the center of attention. It's a wonder to him how different people can be. There are those who have hundreds of friends and acquaintances, and there was him. His only friends being a fellow introvert and a roommate that was forced to hang out with him.

He really can't complain though. Jeno is the sweetest and Jaemin could be weird at times, but at least he could cook. He was perfectly content with his little bubble. Having too many friends would mean having too many distractions from his workload, but Jeno and Jaemin have saved him from completely going crazy. Yes, they were enough.

He's on the way to graduation with no roadblocks in sight and he can't really say he regrets anything.

***

"Come on, Renjun! Pretty please?" Jaemin pleads, his eyes wide and lips exaggeratedly pouty.

Jaemin hasn't stopped whining at Renjun since he got back to their dorm room. Honestly, all he wants to do after a long day of classes is take a shower, eat, then work on his assignments until he falls asleep on his desk. But his roommate was making that impossible.

"In our four years of knowing each other, have you ever seen me step foot in a party?"

"No but-"

"I'm just not interested, Jaem-"

"I just need you to come so Jeno will!" Renjun stops in the middle of unpacking his backpack and stares at Jaemin. Then he laughs for what might have been the first time that day.

"Oh, I  _ knew  _ it. This is priceless," Renjun teases, his interest successfully piqued by his pining roommate.

" _ Please  _ don't tell him. I want to do it myself!" Jaemin exclaims, throwing himself backwards onto his small bed. Renjun crosses over to Jaemin's side of the room (it was really just two steps away) and sits on the edge of his bed.

"I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, it might be fun watching you two trying to flirt," Renjun snickers and Jaemin groans into his pillow.

Renjun's not a fool. It was pretty easy to see that Jaemin's feelings weren't one sided. It's just that Jeno's extremely shy, maybe even more introverted than him. But every time Jeno visits his dorm room and Jaemin's there, he goes beyond himself to actually make conversation. Sometimes Renjun catches the half second of Jeno's disappointed look whenever he finds out he had just missed Jaemin.

It was cute, really, and Renjun's not heartless enough to keep his friends from realizing their feelings for each other.

"I'll go to the damn party," Renjun announces. Jaemin immediately perks up, lifting his head from the pillow and beaming in shock at Renjun.

"Seriously? Renjun thank you so-"

"On one condition." Jaemin's face doesn't change for a second, his smile still the widest Renjun's ever seen.

"You got it, whatever it is!"

"You leave me alone for the rest of exam week." Jaemin rolls his eyes but nods anyway.

"Sure, whatever, let's see you survive without my cooking for the whole week," Jaemin jumps out of his bed and makes his way out of their room.

"I didn't mean no cooking!" Renjun yells after him. He hears Jaemin cackling down the hallway.

"Fine! But you better get ready because the party's tonight!"

***

Jaemin walks into the house party like he belongs there, with a still hesitant Renjun and a nervous Jeno in tow. The entire living room is  _ so  _ crowded it's hard for Renjun to even take a breath. Everywhere around him people are yelling over the booming music. Jaemin, seemingly sensing his panic, ushers the two of them to the kitchen near the back of the house.

"I didn't think there would be this many people," Jeno says, his voice barely audible even with the muffled noise. Renjun sees Jaemin's eyes widen in panic.

"We can go somewhere else if you want! Or I can...um, take you back home?" Jaemin offers and Renjun silently approves of him in his head. Anyone who would sacrifice their Friday night for the comfort of his best friend gets an A in his book.

"Oh, no it's fine. It's just been a while, I guess." To the two roommates' surprise, Jeno casually walks over to the alcohol displayed on the counter and pours himself a drink. When he sees their dumfounded stares he just shrugs.

"My brother's a bartender," he says, as if that explains everything. Jaemin takes this as his chance and sidles up to Jeno, asking the older boy to make him a drink. It's strange to see Jeno at ease when he's not in the library or his dorm room, but he takes Jaemin's interest in stride. He hands Jaemin his drink, his soft smile not quite matching his newfound confidence.

"Mmm, it's sweet!" Jaemin giggles, already acting like he's had five drinks instead of one sip. "Just like you!"

Renjun blanches, his approval for Jaemin sinking below zero. He leaves his two friends to flirt awkwardly by themselves, preferring to brave the crowd than watch those two make fools of themselves and  _ still  _ make each other blush. Grabbing a can of beer, he makes his way back to the packed living room.

He runs into one of his classmates, Mark, a music major who somehow ended up in one of his design classes for a free elective. They're talking about their upcoming deadlines and their professor's unreasonable expectations when Renjun thinks maybe parties aren't so bad. Or maybe he thought too soon.

Yukhei, Mark's giant of a boyfriend, had just whisked him away to a beer pong competition when a freshman spills their drink on Renjun. The boy mumbles slurred apologies but Renjun just waves him off, not in the mood to deal with the kid. With his shirt soaked and his head pounding from the loud music, Renjun escapes to the back porch, breathing in lungfuls of fresh air.

It's barely been a minute of peace and quiet when a tipsy boy stumbles out onto the porch after him, mumbling something about a lost phone. Renjun vaguely recognizes him as one of the theater kids from this morning, the one who had been singing some show tune at the top of his lungs _. Of all the luck _ .

"Hey, have you seen my phone?" The boy suddenly asks, staring expectantly at Renjun, who just shakes his head. The boy nods, continuing to comb through the porch and finding nothing. Renjun's starting to lose interest but the boy turns towards him again. He has to steel himself, expecting more conversation.

"Why are you out here, anyway?" The probing question sounds innocent coming from him.

"I don't know. Why would  _ you  _ lose your phone out here?"

"I've looked everywhere else so logically it should be out here."

"That doesn't sound logical at all."

The boy just shrugs, making his way over to Renjun and leaning against the railing. Renjun visibly shrinks away from him but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Did you come here alone?" The stranger continues, making no hints of leaving any time soon.

"No, my friends are somewhere inside," Renjun replies, maintaining a polite demeanor.

"Why aren't you with them, then? I mean, that's kinda the point of parties," the boy giggles, and while Renjun admits it's  _ not _ the most unpleasant sound in the world, he's still annoyed.

"Parties really aren't my thing," he replies, thinking that's the end of that.

“What, are you too cool for them or something?” It should sound mean, but when it’s coming from the mouth of a cute boy with curly brown hair and sparkling eyes, Renjun feels a desperate need to defend himself.

“I'm _not_. It’s just…unlike  _ some  _ people, I’m too preoccupied with my studies.” Renjun refuses to meet the boy’s eyes. He hates to admit it but he’s a little intimidated by the stranger.

"Well aren't you a fun one," the boy laughs, louder this time, leaning into Renjun's personal space. And while he really doesn't seem unkind, something in Renjun snaps.

"I'll show you  _ fun, _ " Renjun mutters under his breath and downs his beer in one go. He tries to crumple the empty can. When he fails, he chooses to chuck it over the railing, immediately regretting it when he thinks about the person who has to clean it up the next day. _Shake it off, Huang._

Bolstered by the liquid courage, Renjun grabs the boy by the collar and pulls him into a kiss... that lands on the boy's cheek, missing his mouth by an inch. Renjun flops onto him unconsciously, his hands moving to grip the boy by the shoulders. He feels him shuddering with laughter and Renjun barely registers it when the boy pulls him back and sits him down on a lawn chair.

“I take back everything I said. You’re  _ definitely  _ the life of the party.” The boy snickers as Renjun nods his head in resolute agreement. He’s already so out of it that he doesn’t even snap at the boy when he ruffles his hair.

“What’s your name, by the way? I’m Donghyuck,” the boy says, sitting down beside Renjun.

“‘m Renjun,” he slurs, his head drooping forward, neck bent at an awkward angle.

“Okay, Renjun. Can I borrow your phone?”

“What. Why?”

“So I can call my phone and find it. Plus it’s been blowing up, I think your friends are looking for you.”

“Ugh, fine, take it.” 

Donghyuck takes the phone from Renjun’s fumbling hands and types in his number. Just a second later, a playful ringtone comes playing out of Donghyuck’s pocket.

“Oh. Found it?”

Renjun giggles. Like  _ actually  _ giggles instead of being annoyed that Donghyuck just wasted his time when his phone was in his pocket this entire time. Donghyuck can’t help but laugh too, at his own silliness and at the way Renjun’s face has gotten completely red as the alcohol works its way into his system.

“Renjun! There you are!” Renjun spots Jaemin stumbling through the sliding doors, his pink hair an absolute bird’s nest, with a half conscious Jeno in tow.

Donghyuck waves as the two newcomers approach them, the distress on Jaemin’s face making both him and Renjun laugh even harder.

“Where have you  _ been?  _ I look away for one second and you’re gone!” Jaemin reprimands while wrapping one arm around Jeno’s waist to keep him steady.

“Well, you were busy  _ canoodling  _ with Mr. Smiley over there,” Renjun says, pointing an accusing finger at his friends. Jeno, unaware of what was currently going on, continues smiling up at Jaemin and making the younger boy blush.

“Yeah, well, we should get him home now. You too, Junnie.”

“Junnie? That’s cute,” Donghyuck says, handing Renjun’s phone back to him.

“Shut up,” Renjun mumbles, but all the bite is gone and instead he smiles softly at his new friend.

“I’ll see you around!” Donghyuck calls after him while Jaemin drags his sluggish body along, his other arm still wrapped around Jeno. Renjun waves without looking back, only realizing that they never really made plans once he’s out the front door.

***

Renjun wakes up the next day with crusty eyes and his mouth so dry it feels like he’s swallowed cotton balls in his sleep. If it wasn’t for the continuous text notifications from his phone he would have probably slept in until way past noon.

He feels around his bed and side table for his phone, squinting against the sunlight and cursing Jaemin for forgetting to close their curtains. Jaemin, who for some reason decided to sleep on the floor so that Jeno could have his bed. Renjun rolls his eyes, simultaneously disgusted but also pleased that his two friends had somehow ended up holding hands in their sleep.

His phone screen is way too bright and Renjun is barely able to make out the messages.

**_Jaem_ **

_ Renjun??? _

_ where are you????? _

_ I’VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE PLS RESPOND _

Renjun should probably apologize for that one…

**_Jeno_ **

_ junniiieeeee _

_ r u theeeeeere _

_ jaem’s freaknig out nd its kinda funy but we miss u !!!!! _

Oh Jeno. Sweet, sweet, Jeno. Renjun feels his heart growing three sizes bigger just reading his messages.

**_Hyuck_** ☀️

_ GOOD MORNING STARSHINE _

_ hope ur not too hungover hehe _

_ wanna have lunch????? _

Renjun stares. The name doesn’t register at first. He doesn’t know a Hyuck. Does he?

He stares harder. And then it clicks.

His wet shirt. The porch. The theater boy with the lost phone.

****  
_ “ DONGHYUCK?” _ ****  


**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry i left it at kind of a cliffhanger, but i promise i have a LOT more planned for this story (you should see my outline omg). so if you're willing to wait, i'll probably update more in a little while! <3


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